Playing Favourites
by Batsutousai
Summary: ON HIATUS! Power attracts power, at least, that was his excuse. –Dumbledore/Harry, AU, superpower!fic, non-human!fic–
1. Golden Green

**Title:** Playing Favourites  
**Chapter Title: **Golden Green  
**Author:** Batsutousai  
**Rating:** PG-13/T  
**Pairings:** Albus/Tom Riddle, Albus/Harry  
**Warnings:** superpower!Harry, not-human!Harry, superpower!Dumbledore, not-human!Dumbledore, AU, crazed author  
**Summary:** 'Power attracts power,' at least, that was _his_ excuse.

**Disclaim Her:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N:** Wrote this a while ago. Don't have anything better to do than type this out - it's in a notebook - and post it, 'specially since I'm still out of ideas for everything else. Yell at me at your leisure.

Wrote this one time when wondering if I could write an Albus/Harry that others would read and not kill me for. Give it a chance.

_Golden Green_

He'd always had favourites, but he'd never acted on them before Tom Riddle. He shouldn't have acted, of course. Tom had viewed his favour the wrong way. He'd been used by young Tom to gain power and authority.

After the mistake with Tom Riddle, he did much thinking and took care not to act on his favourites - took care not to make that mistake a second time. He managed three centuries until he found a favourite he couldn't resist; a young man who would _never_ abuse his power.

§¤§

Harry Potter was like any other boy his age….

Well, okay, he wasn't.

Harry Potter was a wizard and he went to a magical school called Hogwarts. He lived with his very unmagical aunt and uncle in their very unmagical home in Little Whinging, Surrey, England. Harry's parents and godfather had died when a portkey had failed while Harry was only two. Harry had been visiting his parents' best friend, Remus Lupin, at the time and so had survived. Only to be thrust upon his aunt and uncle - who wanted nothing to do with him and 'his kind' - by the Ministry of Magic.

Harry had spent the last six years of his schooling at Hogwarts and was finally coming of age - seventeen - in all of two minutes. In two minutes, he could curse his relatives and not get dragged in to the Ministry for under-age use of magic. Not that he would actually curse them, much as he might dream of it.

Harry had two great friends at Hogwarts - Neville Longbottom and Hermione Granger. The three had been slow to make friends, but once the friendship had been formed, it had been impossible to destroy. Harry was grateful for that friendship, too. He doubted that he could have survived Snape without their help.

Harry heard a faint beep - the sound of his watch reaching the hour - and a sudden heat came over him. It wasn't a particularly comfortable sort of heat, but nor was it one that he couldn't handle. With a grumble, Harry checked that his door was locked - his only safety against his cousin's nasty sense of humour - then stripped and opened his window farther.

Nothing helped. In fact, the heat was starting to become unbearable. It was especially bad in his upper back, near is shoulder blades.

So distracted by the heat that was consuming him, Harry didn't see the man who formed before him out of glittering light. This man had auburn hair and kindly blue eyes. He had a beard that was tucked into the pure white belt of his pure white robes. The thing that proved he wasn't human - beyond the unearthly glow that still seemed to surround him - were his pure white wings, which arched through the air above and behind him.

The new man stepped forward and drew the distracted Harry against his chest. 'Do not fight it, my child. Allow it to do it's work.'

Harry let out a whimper and grasped at the white robes. 'It hurts,' he gasped. 'Make it stop.'

The man gently turned Harry's face up and brushed his lips against those of the boy. 'Don't fight the pain.'

Another whimper slipped from Harry's lips and his grip on the robes tightened. 'I can't.'

'You can, dear Harry,' the man whispered before caringly claiming the boy's lips.

Harry gasped and found himself paying attention to the soothing tongue that entered his mouth. The tongue that stroked against his own and cajoled him into a playful dance. It was a dance that pulled his attention away from the pain of his back.

Suddenly, Harry screamed in pain as golden wings burst from his back, flaring out behind him like a flag in a sudden wind.

The man just held the boy, his own wings caressing the newly-formed golden ones. The only sound he made was a soothing hum.

Heat and pain disappeared and Harry found himself naked in the embrace of a man he didn't know. A man with _wings_, no less. He tugged away and gave the man a suspicious look. 'Who are you?'

'Albus Dumbledore,' the man replied with a touch of a smile.

'What are you doing in my room?'

'I'm here to help you come into your destiny.'

'And what might that be?'

'To ascend to Heaven as an Angel, of course.'

Harry's new wings, which had been laying peacefully against his back, flared out behind him as expressive green eyes filled with anger. 'No.'

Albus blinked in confusion. 'No?'

'No,' Harry agreed. 'I'm not leaving. Get rid of these - these _things_ and go away!' he ended in a slightly panicked voice.

Albus shook his head, beginning to wonder if he'd picked the wrong human to change. 'Once your body accepts the wings, they cannot be taken back.'

'They _have_ to! If people see them, they'll _know_ I'm a-!' Harry slammed a hand over his mouth to cut off what his relatives called him.

Albus' eyes flashed. 'You're not a freak, Harry. You are an extremely gifted individual, but that doesn't make you a freak.'

Harry hugged himself protectively, his wings moving on their own to overlap his arms and hide more of his exposed body. 'Get rid of them. Please?' Harry whispered, eyes wide and hopeless.

Albus sighed. 'You can will them away.'

Harry blinked, then closed his eyes and imagined the wings not being there. It was much easier than he expected.

When Harry opened his eyes again, he found Albus watching him with sad eyes, his wings drooping. 'Are you certain you don't wish to come to Heaven?'

Harry looked away uncomfortably. 'Can Hermione and Neville come too?'

'I'm afraid not,' Albus replied with a sigh. Had he known the two humans would hold Harry back, he would have kept the three apart.

'Then I'm staying here. With them.'

'Very well,' Albus agreed, knowing better than to press. 'Know that you will always retain a home in Heaven, when you wish to claim it.'

'Fine.'

'Before I leave, I should give you a few warnings.'

'Warnings?!' Panic filled Harry's eyes.

'It's nothing to lose sleep over, child.' Albus chuckled.

'Just tell me.'

Albus nodded and turned serious. 'Angels are magically stronger than humans, so you'll probably find that you can perform spells easier than before and even master things that you could only dream of before. You'll also find that you've gained various gifts. Use the rest of the summer to explore and learn to control them.'

Harry nodded in understanding. 'Is that all?'

Albus shrugged. 'Basically. If you need any help, call me and I will come. Good night, Harry.'

'Good night,' Harry whispered, then watched as the man faded into twinkling lights, which faded from sight.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** So. Harry's an Angel. Albus is... something. XD  
Harry's not big on Albus right now - what would _you_ think if you grew up being called a freak all the time for natural gifts and then this guy pops up and makes you even _more_ of a freak? XD Tom's kinda on the other end of the spectrum - he might show up later.

As you can see, we don't have Voldemort in this, so a lot of things are different. Harry's not the famous Boy-Who-Lived, and Neville never lost his parents. Lots of things are different. For your reference, here's a list of the main teachers at Hogwarts and what they teach, etc:  
- Minerva McGonagall - _Headmistress_  
- Horus Slughorn - _Potions, Head of Slytherin_  
- Severus Snape - _Defense Against the Dark Arts_  
- Remus Lupin - _Transfiguration, Head of Gryffindor_  
- Filius Flitwick - _Charms, Head of Ravenclaw, Deputy Headmaster_  
- Pomona Sprout - _Herbology, Head of Hufflepuff_  
- Rubeus Hagrid - _Care of Magical Creatures, Keeper of Grounds and Keys_ (DID complete his education)  
Consider everyone else to be the same. These are the classes that Harry's still taking, which is the only reason I - at the very least - care.

I've got the next chapter written in my notebook and I'll type that up directly. There's not much of three written, but I'll see what I can do.  
Alternately, if no one likes this, I won't continue it. Then it'll be a moot point, won't it? XD

Bats


	2. Helpless

**Title:** Playing Favourites**  
Chapter Title: **Helpless  
**Added Pairings & Warnings:** None

**A/N:** As you can see, the top bit is quite different from my usual. It takes up less space this way. I started using it on a fic which is, currently, only up on Fiction Alley. Decided I liked it. Think I'll continue it for this fic and that one on FA. -sweat-  
Basically, I'll only add to this if there's something new in that chapter - whether it be chapter specific or for the rest of the fic.

For those of you who've been asking about Ron, he's in here.

_Helpless_

The first thing Harry did on his birthday - after making breakfast for his relatives - was take a trip on the Knight Bus to Diagon Alley - the Wizarding shopping centre in London.

Harry's first stop was Flourish and Blotts, where he spent almost fifty galleons on books with some of the more difficult spells in them and on two books about magical talents. He'd looked for a book on Angels, but hadn't found any, as expected. After paying, he shrunk his books and shoved them into a pocket of his jeans.

A touch discouraged, Harry wandered through Diagon Alley aimlessly. His meanderings brought him to Ollivanders, the best wand shop in Diagon Alley. Feeling like it was the thing to do, Harry stepped into the shop.

'Hello again, Mr Potter. Holly, unicorn hair, ten inches, if I'm not mistaken.'

Harry nearly jumped out of his skin when Ollivander appeared before him. It wouldn't surprise him if the old man could Apparate silently. 'Hullo, Mr Ollivander,' he allowed with a helpless smile.

Ollivander stared at him for a long moment before turning. 'Follow me.'

Harry quietly followed the strange old man back to a cluttered office. There, Ollivander pulled a book off a shelf and held it out to Harry. 'What is it?' Harry asked, not taking the book.

Ollivander offered Harry a knowing smile. 'You won't find any books on our kind for sale, Mr Potter. Take it.'

Harry took the book, eyeing Ollivander curiously. 'How can you tell?'

'Repeat after me; _Revealio Aurae_.'

'_Revealio Aurae_,' Harry said, then gasped.

Everything in the room had lit up with light. Ollivander himself outshone everything else in the room and the outline of silver wings arched out behind him. Harry glanced over his shoulder and found the gold outline of his own wings coming from his back.

'That's an Angelic Spell. Only Angels and Demons can see the light shadow of your wings. If a human casts the spell, all they'll see are the natural auras that surround all living things,' Ollivander explained.

'Wow...' Harry whispered, enjoying the new gift. He was rather glad he'd gotten the book he saw on auras in the bookstore. He'd have to teach Hermione and Neville the spell, too. They'd _love_ it!

'_Finite_ will end it,' Ollivander ended, smiling at the young Angel's excitement. 'I'm actually surprised Albus gifted you.'

'Huh?' Harry stopped looking around the shop to stare at Ollivander with wide eyes. '_Albus_ gifted me with this?'

'Yes. Gold wings are his mark,' Ollivander explained.

Harry nodded in understanding. 'Why are you surprised?'

'The last human he gifted fell to Hell after a few years. But that one had been a bit greedy from the start...' Ollivander shrugged. 'You'll be fine, I think, as long as Albus doesn't push you. I'll have to remind him.'

'Wait, _remind_ him?'

'He's had his eye on you since James and Lily died. I told him after the first time I met you that he couldn't push you or you'd end up the same,' Ollivander explained. 'He needs reminding from time-to-time.'

There was the sudden tinkling of a bell and Harry knew he needed to leave. 'Thank you, Mr Ollivander. For all your help.'

Ollivander inclined his head with a faint smile. 'Drop by any time. And keep the book - I have another copy somewhere.'

Harry allowed Ollivander to lead him back up to the front of the shop, where a young girl stood with a woman who looked to be her mother. Harry slipped out the door with a smile as Ollivander started reciting the woman's wand.

§¤§

The afternoon of August fifth found Harry back in Diagon Alley - this time to wait for his two friends, though he was a bit early. He was enjoying a sundae at his favourite shop - Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

'If it isn't baby Potty,' a voice called mockingly.

Harry rolled his eyes. 'Sod off, Weasel.'

Ronald Weasley, instead of leaving, leaned over the back of Harry's chair with a cruel smile. 'Make me.'

Harry turned and pressed his wand to the annoying redhead's throat, eyes hard. 'I've hit my majority, Weasel. If I were you, I'd take a hint and leave,' he threatened. Harry liked Ronald's twin brothers, Fred and George, and he didn't mind the only Weasley girl, Ginny, but Ronald had always made a point of picking on Harry, no matter what his elder brothers said.

'I'm shaking in my trainers,' Weasley assured Harry mockingly.

Harry twitched his wand and sent the other boy backwards into the street with barely a thought. Then he returned to his ice cream, as if nothing had happened.

'I'll get you, Potty!' Weasley shouted before stalking off.

'Oh, Harry, that was _wonderful_!' a female voice called out just before a girl with too much hair threw herself at Harry's back.

Harry felt himself blushing even as he smiled. 'Hey, Mi.'

'So you hit majority, huh?' a boy with sandy hair inquired with a kind smile as he took a seat at the table.

Seeing his friends again assured Harry that he'd made the right decision when Albus asked him to come up to Heaven. 'Yeah,' he replied to Neville's question. 'It hit on my birthday.'

'Well, good,' Hermione stated, falling into the chair on Harry's other side. 'You deserve more magic.'

Harry shoved another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth to save him from responding to that.

'You've gone and embarrassed him again, Mi,' Neville joked with a big smile.

'So are you, Nev,' Hermione shot back, her smile matching Neville's.

'Okay! Okay!' Harry gave his friends dark looks, which didn't do much, seeing as how he was still blushing brightly. 'Let's go buy our stuff.'

Hermione and Neville took Harry's hands and cheerfully pulled him from his seat and away towards the bookstore.

§¤§

'I've heard an interesting rumour, Potty.'

'That's nothing new, you little rat,' Neville said in defense of Harry. 'You tend to hear a lot of rumours in the sewers where you live.'

'I don't think I was talking to you, Longbottom,' Draco Malfoy shot back, stepping forward to get in Neville's face. Neville pulled out his wand and pointed it at Malfoy's chest.

'What's this rumour, Malfoy?' Harry slipped in, trying to avoid a fight. He tugged on Neville's sleeve gently, Hermione doing the same on Neville's other side.

'That you might be able to actually duel now,' Malfoy replied with a nasty smirk, his attention on Harry as Hermione forced Neville to lower his wand. 'Let's test this rumour, shall we?'

'Harry!' Hermione and Neville shouted as Malfoy turned his wand on Harry, a wordless curse shooting from the end of the boy's ash wand in a sparkle of orange.

Harry, not really thinking, slashed his hand through the curse, ending it with a thought - an ability that came with his Angelic powers, which he'd found in the book from Ollivander. It wasn't the sort of thing a human could get away with. He blinked at Malfoy, who looked like he might piss himself, and mumbled, 'Sod off, Malfoy.'

Malfoy fled.

Hermione and Neville both hurried up to check Harry over, looking for any wounds or issues that might have arisen because of the unknown curse he'd stopped, but Harry waved their hands away, feeling a blush heating his face. 'I'm fine. Really. Please don't cause a scene.'

Hermione and Neville traded looks, then nodded and hurried Harry away from the main thoroughfare. Once out of the way, Hermione gave Harry a suspicious look. 'What was that spell you used? I've never read about anything like it before.'

Not for the first time, Harry cursed having a best friend who read everything she could get her hands on. 'Erm, family spell,' Harry lied, using the first explanation that came to mind. 'Come on, we still need to get ingredients for Potions before Nev's parents come looking for us. Right?' He smiled nervously.

Hermione's eyes narrowed, but she let it go. She'd grill him at Hogwarts, where he couldn't get away from her.

§¤§

The rest of their trip to the Alley was uneventful and the three had fun for a good few hours before the Longbottoms found them back at Fortescue's. The group had retired to The Leaky Cauldron for a meal - courtesy of the Longbottoms - before splitting up to go home. Neville took the Floo with his parents while Hermione Apparated. Harry called the Knight Bus.

Without either of his best friends to worry over him, Harry decided it was safe enough to ask Stan to drop him off a few blocks away from his house, allowing him some time to think over the day's events and calm himself before returning to the Dursleys' house.

On his way past the park, he caught sight of a man dressed all in white, sitting on one of the swings. Harry let out a sigh and walked over to the fence to greet the man who changed him. 'Albus.'

Albus smiled up at him. 'Well, hello, Harry. A nice evening for a stroll, wouldn't you agree?'

Harry didn't return the smile. 'Why are you here?'

Albus' lips twisted with sadness for a brief moment before forcing themselves back into his too-cheerful smile. 'I needed to see how you're getting on-'

'Smashingly. Good-bye.' Harry turned his back on the other and headed towards the Dursleys'.

'Harry!'

Harry ignored the yell and continued on. He didn't need the man's help - he had Ollivander and the book the wandmaker had given him.

Albus grabbed a hold of Harry's shoulders, stopping him, but didn't force the teen to face him. 'What have I done that angers you so?'

'I simply don't need your help,' Harry replied coldly, twisting his shoulder from the other's grasp, but keeping his eyes on the street in front of him. 'You may have given me these wings and extra abilities, Albus Dumbledore, but I neither want nor need your help in learning of them. Good-bye.' He continued on his way to the Dursleys'.

Albus was left in the middle of the road to watch after the boy he'd gifted.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

**A/N:** Reviews were, I am surprised to admit, rather good for this. I only heard a few 'nays' about the story, and none of them were flames. I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of people who were saying they were willing to give this a chance. Thank you.  
In all honesty, I expected a mass of flames and maybe a couple people telling me that they weren't going to read this because it's wrong or something akin to that. -sweatdrop-

I don't know if I'll ever get around to explaining why Harry and Hermione are friends with Neville instead of Ron, but I'll try and get it in there somewhere. A dream might work...  
Figure that all their years previous have been basically what one would expect had Voldemort not existed, their teachers were always the same, and Neville had confidence in himself but Harry didn't really. Neville and Harry both play Chaser for Gryffindor, Ginny is their star Seeker. Ron's one of the Beaters. Haven't decided the rest of the team. Oh, and Neville's the team captain.  
I think that's all for that. I try and get a scene or two about why Neville and not Ron is friends with Harry and Hermione.  
Let me know if you have any other questions about this world, eh?

Bats

**Important Note:** For those of you reading more than just this fic - and even those of you i just /i reading this fic - please take note that I'm putting all of my fics on HIATUS at this moment for an unknown period of time. I have too much school work to keep up with my fics and not many ideas besides.  
Sorry.


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